Broomfield anti-fracking group turns in ballot ban petitions

Our Broomfield collected more than 3,000 signatures

By Megan Quinn

Enterprise Staff Writer

Posted:
08/02/2013 03:21:44 PM MDT

PETITIONS DELIVERED: Our Broomfield supporter Jennie Markarian turns in petitions with more than 3,000 signatures to the City and County Clerk's Office on Friday. The petitions are in support of putting a five-year ban on fracking on the November ballot. (David R Jennings / Broomfield Enterprise)

Find out more

• Broomfield posts updates on fracking issues on its website. Find the webpage by visiting broomfield.org and clicking "Government," then "Oil and Gas Development."

• For more information about pro-fracking group It's Our Broomfield, Too, call Linda Reynolds at 303-439-9108 or Rick Fernandez at 303-929-1463.

• For more information about Our Broomfield, the group proposing a ballot measure to ban fracking for five years, go to ourbroomfield.org.

Grassroots group Our Broomfield on Friday turned in petitions bearing 3,382 names, bringing it one step closer to getting a five-year ban on fracking in Broomfield on the November ballot.

Organizers turned in the petitions after a press conference at the George Di Ciero City and County Building Friday afternoon.

Jackie Houle, who volunteered her home as a petition drop-off spot, said she is relieved the petitions are now in the hands of the City and County Clerk's Office.

"Now the next step is working on educating the community and getting people out to vote," she said.

Our Broomfield, formerly called Don't Frack Broomfield, in June filed a petition with the clerk's office seeking to petition the ban onto the city's Nov. 5 ballot. It needs a minimum 2,082 signatures to do so.

Broomfield Elections Administrator Michael Susek said staff has 15 business days to validate signatures, which means it will be complete no later than Aug. 23. If at least 2,082 signatures are deemed valid, the ban will appear on the ballot.

The ballot question would ask voters to approve a five-year ban on all hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in Broomfield. Fracking is a process in which oil and gas companies inject a water-sand-chemical mix deep underground to free up deposits of gas trapped in subterranean rock.

The ban would prohibit using fracking to "extract oil, gas or other hydrocarbons within ... Broomfield."

No liquid or solid wastes associated with fracking could be stored within city and county limits, according to the petition.

Our Broomfield is opposed to fracking because of its potential impact on air and water quality. The group said a ban would give researchers more time to determine fracking's true effects on residents' health and the environment.

Broomfield has delayed talks with oil and gas operator Sovereign several times because of resident concerns about how close proposed wells would be to Prospect Ridge Academy charter school in the North Park area.

Meghan Mariner lives in Anthem and has three kids who attend Prospect Ridge. She said she has worked to gather signatures for the petition from the outset.

"I didn't know a lot about it at first, but the more research I did, the more concerned I was," she said at Our Broomfield's press conference on Friday. "My children are my first and foremost priority and this affects them."

Broomfield also has a pro-fracking citizen group called It's Our Broomfield, Too. The pro-fracking group is known for wearing hot pink shirts with the phrase "Mothers In Love With Fracking."

After hearing the news Friday that Our Broomfield appeared poised to get a ban on the ballot, group member Linda Reynolds said It's Our Broomfield, Too would begin organizing against the ban.

"There's no evidence that fracking is harmful to groundwater or the environment, and there are legitimate studies that back that up," she said.

The pro-fracking group will begin organizing public discussions and information sessions to show another side of the argument — a side that shows how fracking has safely and effectively provided fuel, jobs and income for Broomfield and beyond, she said.

"It's so important that we inform voters that this (ban) is not a good thing for them," she said.

Meanwhile, Broomfield officials are working on how best to proceed with the city's fracking future.

City Council members have said they need to update policies and find ways to work with oil and gas drilling applicants to ensure heightened safety standards. They also will explore options, such as hiring an independent consultant to provide context and guidance on fracking issues and will consider hiring an inspector to examine Broomfield's 97 producing oil and gas wells on a more regular basis.

Broomfield isn't the only community with anti-fracking petitions. Citizen groups in Lafayette and Fort Collins also have submitted petitions that would put a fracking ban on the November ballot.

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